Beginners Luck
by RaspberryAngel
Summary: A little one-shot about Astrid discovering Hiccup's one Viking-like talent he's kept hidden. it's a talent from the books so don't like, don't read. PLEASE R&R!


Beginners Luck

_**Hi little old me here! This my first story in about… *counts on fingers* 5 months. I had to delete my old account due to problems with my laptop but never fear I have returned with a new penname and new fanfics!**_

_**This is just a little oneshot, I'm a bit rusty round the edges since I havn't written in a while so I'm starting small. Hope you enjoy and remember to review! And yes before you read this is connected to the book so this 'talent' hiccup has doe's come from the books. **_

_**Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own anything.**_

The sun shone low in the morning sky casting long shadows across the peaceful village of Berk, creating a watery affect as the dim light flickered through the leaves of the tall oaks and pines that made up the forests that surrounded the tiny village. Birds chirped, leaves rustled in the slight breeze, everything was quiet and peaceful… It didn't last long.

"Come on Hiccup you're not even trying!" complained the unmistakeably furious voice of Astrid Hofferson. "Yes I am." Whined the smaller of the two glaring at her, "Let's do something else Astrid this is boring!"

"No." She snapped, "I'm teaching you how to sword-fight so you have at least one strength when you become chief." Hiccup shuffled his feet miserably, tactfully deciding not to mention the fact that they'd been standing out here in the freezing woods for over an hour and the cold was starting to get to him, his whole body shook with shivers, his skin rose up in large goose bumps and he'd soon realised that trying to stop his teeth chattering was a fruitless attempt. If he got hypothermia he was blaming Astrid. It was her fault anyway. This morning Astrid had told him to come down to the forest or else, Hiccup hadn't been too eager to find out what 'or else' meant so, ruefully, he came. When he'd arrived Astrid had chucked him a wooden cudgel and told him he needed to learn how to use a sword.

"Now thump me with the cudgel!" Astrid snapped leaving a wide opening for Hiccup, Hiccup sighed and lowed his cudgel "But I don't want to 'thump' you Astrid, to be honest I just want to go back to bed."

"Not even to see if you could?" Asked Astrid curiously. "Why would I care if I could do something that I don't want to do to begin with?" He replied. Astrid thought for a minute. "Okay so you don't want to thump me, what if I were somebody else?"

"Who, for instance?"

"Who would you like to thump?"

"How about Ruffnut?" Hiccup asked hopefully. "Hiccup you can't go around thumping women, especially her! I'm an exception."

"There you see? What's the sense of being a sword-fighter? I have to thump the people I don't want to thump, and I can't thump the people who would really be better off with a good thumping."

"How about Snotlout? You'd like to thump him, wouldn't you?" Hiccup thought about this. "No, I'd like to hang him over the edge of a cliff by his toes." Astrid paused, stuck by this. "In the rain, in the middle of winter," Hiccup added.

Astrid struggled to stop herself grinning, but pressed on. "But wouldn't you like to thump him too?"

"While he's hanging helpless like that? Certainly not! Wouldn't be chivalrous."

"No, I mean if you couldn't hang him by his toes, wouldn't you like to thump him instead?"

"Well it wouldn't be the same, but I suppose I could give it a go."

"Good. Pretend I'm Snotlout."

"What? You? Impossible. Your clothes are all muddy and you're far too good looking."

"Hiccup, I only mean-"

"And couldn't you get a couple of tattoos or scars somewhere, through you eye or across you're back? Strut about a bit like a vain cockerel?"

"Hiccup…" Astrid shook her head fighting of her laughter with an amused grin. Hiccup thumped her. "Take that, foul Snotlout, thou recreant pirate," He said.

**Line break**

It was mid-morning and Astrid was still at it. Hiccup sighed and his attention wandered from Astrid's third lecture on how to hold a sword to the forest itself. Hiccup had always liked the forest, it was a cool damp place he could come too to draw or think or be alone. It began to rain and the thick swirling clouds parted as the cold droplets of water broke free from the heavens and pattered gently on the leaves high above his head. They trickled along the branches and dripped slowly down to the forest floor, the smell of plants and fresh pines mixed with the refreshing drizzle created a hypnotising scent that clouded his thoughts and lead his mind further and further away from the dull words spilling from the mouth of his impatient female companion. The bushes rustled in the chilly breeze that swept through the woods catching dead leaves and small bugs in its wake that scrambled to get out of its way.

"Berk calling Hiccup, come in Hiccup!" Astrid's voice broke through into Hiccup's happy place and dragged him sharply back into reality. He mumbled something incomprehensive and blinked several times before looking up into her angry gaze.

"Time to see if you've learned anything," she muttered chucking him the sword. "Do I have to?" He complained. "Listen you fight me, you do well and you can go back to bed how's that sound?"

Hiccup thought about this for a moment before giving in, he was going to have to tell her some point anyway why put it off any longer. He took the sword from her in one swift motion expertly gripping the handle with his left hand, much to Astrid's surprise. The fight started and Astrid was just thinking to herself, 'this will be over in five seconds' when her lunge was suddenly parried at the last moment by Hiccup's sword. The fight was over in six moves. Hiccup parried Astrid's blows four times before throwing in a thrust himself and expertly knocking her sword from her hand and stepping on her wrist before she could get back up.

"Wow…" she breathed, there was nothing else to say. "Oh yeah I forgot to mention, I may be slightly the most awesome sword-fighter in the Barbaric Archipelago." He stated smugly. Astrid just stared her mouth gaping open trying to grasp back the situation, one half of her wanted to knock Hiccup off her and slap that smug smile right off his face but the other half preferred to pretend that this strange episode in her life had never happened and go back home to bed and forget the whole thing. She decided to do both.

Hiccup stumbled back to the village nursing him sore cheek. "Dude, what happened to you?" asked Snotlout running up to him. In response Hiccup drew his wooden practice cudgel and thumped him.

_**So love it? Hate it? Please leave a review so I can tell! Like I said, a little rusty round the edges, things like grammar are not my strong point… thanks for reading and remember to R&R!**_

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